adminLos Angeles — Manny Pacquiao underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday, just days after his loss to Floyd Mayweather in the the so-called “Fight of the Century”. Surgeon Neal ElAttrache, who performed the operation to repair a torn rotator cuff, said he could “not be more pleased with the results” and expects Pacquiao to recover fully.
Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather in Las Vegas last weekend in the richest prize fight in boxing history.
The Filipino southpaw entered the fight with a shoulder injury that was suffered during preparation for the bout. The Nevada State Athletic Commission could fine or suspend Pacquiao for failing to disclose the injury.
The non disclosure could also lead to possible lawsuits from boxing fans who may feel cheated after paying record sums for tickets in the MGM Grand Garden Arena or pay-for-view (PPV).
Some of the ringside spots in the 16 800-seat arena demanded up to $350 ,000 on resale site StubHub, while a record $300 million or more is expected in PPV revenue.
Talks over a potential rematch between Mayweather (48-0) and Pacquiao (57-6-2), once his health resumes, have already began, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Amir Khan has declared that his observance of Ramadan would not prevent him from fighting Floyd Mayweather in September.
After preserving his unbeaten record with a points victory over Pacquiao in their long-awaited mega-fight last weekend, Mayweather said that his final bout would take place in Las Vegas in September.
Ramadan, during which Muslims are obliged to fast, is due to end on July 17 this year and Khan believes that would give him enough time to fully prepare for an encounter with the American pound-for-pound master.
“I’m not ruling out fighting in September because it’s possible that it could happen,” Khan told journalists during a conference call to promote his May 29 fight against Chris Algieri in New York.
“Mayweather only fights in mid-September and Ramadan will be a little earlier this year, which helps. It gives me enough time to get the training done. So it can happen in September.”
Both Khan and Algieri are former light-welterweight world champions and the 28-year-old Briton, who has a 33-3 record, says it would be wrong to look beyond the former kickboxer (20-1). “I need to win this fight if I’m to get near any of the big names in boxing,” Khan said. “It’s time to fight Chris Algieri. I’m not going to be fighting Mayweather until I win this fight.
“Winning this fight is everything to me. I’m not looking past Chris because I’ve made that mistake in the past. There are bigger fights out there for me, but this is my focus.” — AFP
Online Reporter